Hariri Discusses Govt. Formation Process with Jumblat
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri held talks Wednesday evening at the Center House with Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat.
The meeting, which continued over dinner, focused on the latest developments, “especially the formation process of the new government,” Hariri's office said.
Jumblat was accompanied by Demoratic Gathering bloc MP Marwan Hamadeh and the meeting was held in the presence of Hariri’s adviser ex-MP Ghattas Khoury.
Jumblat's Democratic Gathering might propose the appointment of Hamadeh and Ayman Shqeir as ministers in Hariri's cabinet while leaving the third Druze seat to Lebanese Democratic Party leader MP Talal Arslan, An Nahar newspaper reported on Tuesday.
President Michel Aoun's election and Hariri's appointment as premier-designate have raised hopes that Lebanon can begin tackling challenges including a stagnant economy, a moribund political class and the influx of more than a million Syrian refugees.
In a sign that Hariri's task ahead might not be easy, Hizbullah's MPs declined to endorse him for the prime minister post, even though his nomination was all-but-assured.
Hariri is likely to struggle with his government's policy statement, which will have to make reference to Israel, as well as the war in Syria, both potential flashpoints with Hizbullah.
The process of forming a government could take months, with horsetrading likely to revolve around the distribution of key posts like the finance, defense and energy ministries.
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